by Mary Ting
“Abel. Open your eyes. Please, open your eyes,” my uncle pleaded. “You’re not allowed to die on me, soldier. You’re a supernatural being. You don’t get to die before I do. I was supposed to protect you. I’m so sorry I failed you.” Blood pooled around Abel, and his eyes opened a tiny fraction.
I sighed with hope—maybe Abel could fight through and live.
“Mr. President,” Abel coughed up blood, his voice hoarse. “It was an honor.”
“It’s Uncle Davin to you. And it was my honor, Abel. You are one brave knight. You are a chosen knight. You will never be forgotten, my friend.”
“Tell my friends I did my best. Tell Eli I’m sorry. Tell them I love…”
Tears streamed down my face. Abel closed his eyes and slumped in Uncle Davin’s arms. Brody, Milani, and Jack wept.
Placing Abel down, Uncle Davin stood in front of Cyrus. “I know you can hear me, so hear every word I say. You deserve death, and even death will not be enough. I wish you an eternity of pain and agony.” Raising his sword, Uncle Davin swung for Cyrus’s neck but stopped. Ikelia used her magic to push back Uncle Davin.
“What is the meaning of this?” he snarled.
“Eligor, my husband, is inside Cyrus. We have to extract him first before you kill him,” Ikelia explained.
“And Eli?”
“He’s fine.” Ikelia held out the crystal ball from her hand. “I borrowed power from the treasure to restore my power and freeze Eli, but it won’t hold him long.”
Uncle Davin moved out of the way and said, “Hurry.”
Ikelia held out a crystal the size of a test tube. Kalani and Sabina began to chant, and Ikelia joined them. A few minutes later, a light seeped out of Cyrus’s mouth like a golden mist and flew inside the crystal. Ikelia shoved it inside her pocket. Then she rested her fingertip on Cyrus’s shoulder.
“For all the pain caused by your evil heart, may you feel every torturous pain I release upon you. May you rot in Hell.”
After the Snow Queen iced Cyrus into an ice sculpture, she said, “I’m going to take Eli out of here to my cabin. He will need some time to recover, not just from being frozen but from Cyrus’s bond. As soon as I know he is fine, I’ll come back to help you release the treasure. I know what to do. Jacques de Molay told me everything.”
“We know,” my uncle said. “We’ve been following your every step. Well, Jacques de Molay and you conveniently happened to be there at certain times.”
“It was the only way, Davin.”
“I know,” Uncle Davin said.
With a nod, Ikelia portaled her team out of there.
“I’m tired of looking at his face.” Uncle Davin raised his sword. “For all the grief you have caused in your lifetime. For being a pain in my ass. And for Abel’s death, may Hell welcome you with open arms and give you the punishment you deserve and more. Look at me carefully. My face is the last you will see.”
Cyrus’s head thumped on the floor, black liquid oozing from it like thick spilled ink. Then he sizzled into nothing but ashes, and the wind carried what was left of him away. I picked up the true cross dagger and gave it to my uncle.
“Brody and Milani. Stay with Abel. Jack left with his father, so we don’t have to worry about him.” Uncle Davin leaped on the balcony rail. “We still have unfinished business to take care of. Lucia and Zach, come with me.”
Chapter 30
Brody
Abel. I couldn’t believe he… I dropped to my knees next to Milani. I wanted to shake him, to wake him up. The blood around him was a reminder of what had happened. Then I thought about my dad and his friends. Oh God, please let him be safe.
“I can’t believe Abel is gone.” Milani sobbed in my arms. We would be freezing our butts off, but Milani used her magic to keep us warm.
I shed more tears, grieving with her, as agony gripped my heart. “I can’t believe it either,” I said somberly.
Milani and I waited by Abel’s body for Uncle Davin’s return. When hours passed, we took turns taking a peek around the castle, but I found nothing useful. Everything, from floor to ceiling had been frozen. Milani found an old dusty blanket, so we covered Abel. It was the least we could do for him. She also found a cloth and used it to clean Abel’s bloody face.
I couldn’t believe the Snow Queen lived all of her childhood and her teenage years there with the demons. So cold. So lonely. I felt so sorry for her. How lonely she must have been.
I would have done the same as the Snow Queen and taken revenge upon those who had done me wrong. But when she returned to her homeland, she had let Lana go. Had Ikelia’s heart still been made of ice, she would not have been so lenient. I wondered if she would go after Lilith, knowing she was alive.
I still couldn’t believe Abel was gone. War meant casualties, but this was our first one. We weren’t prepared, at least not emotionally. Silly as it sounded, though chances were great, I didn’t think one of us would die.
The sun dipped lower and lower. Milani and I stared out the balcony, hoping Uncle Davin would swoop in. I figured he would return from the same direction he flew out. Where was Uncle Davin? Did something happen to him or one of our friends? The stress from the war clung to me, and I needed to know everyone was fine. What about Eli?
“The floor is cold. Can we take Abel somewhere else?” Milani sniffed.
I was glad for the distraction. “Where? Everything has been touched by ice.”
“I can’t believe Eli’s mother is the Snow Queen,” Milani said, taking the words right out of my mouth. “How do you keep a secret like that? I’ve known her all my life, and I’m totally blown away.”
“I know. Crazy, right?” I shoved my fingers through my hair.
“I have to agree.” Uncle Davin walked through an interior door instead of where I had expected him to appear.
“Is everyone okay?” I asked, my heart thumping with anticipation. “What took you so long? We were so worried.” I choked up, rubbing my eyes.
Uncle Davin frowned, and I prepared for his tongue lashing, but none came. Instead, he wrapped his arms around us and squeezed. “I’m so glad you’re all right. I’ve never been so scared in my life. Don’t you ever die on me.”
My eyes burned with unwanted tears. “Abel,” I said, my voice muffled in his shirt.
Uncle Davin held us tightly, desperate, as though if he let go, we would disappear. “He won’t be forgotten. I promise. His death will not be in vain. Cyrus is dead, and all is safe now.”
I nodded, relief flooding through me. Hell had not come to Earth. But the thought of having to tell Cayden, Kohl, and Vanessa about Abel gutted me.
Uncle Davin released us and cradled Abel in his arms. “Milani, take Brody home first, and then take me home.”
We went through the portal Milani created. After I said goodbye, I ran inside the house. My house had not been touched. Thank God. But what I saw beyond—devastation.
“Dad? Dad?” I searched all the rooms, opened all the doors. Nothing. “Dad.” I opened the back door to the backyard, and my heart exploded with joy.
“Brody.” My dad dropped his broom and ran to me. “I was sick to my stomach worried about you.” He stroked my face, patted my shoulders, and embraced me. His chest bobbed when he chuckled with happiness.
“Mom and Baylee?” I asked.
“They’re fine. They made it to California. I told them to stay there until it was safe to come back. Everything is well for now. Thanks to Davin, your friends, my friends, and the angels, we have hope to win the war.” He patted my shoulders again.
“Yes,” I agreed, but my heart was with Abel. “We need to go out there and help.”
“I’m right behind you, son.”
Eli
My mother. I saw her plain as day wearing shackles, and only the master of those shackles could release them, or an angel with divine blood. Lucia. Where are you, my love? No. It wasn’t safe for her to be there, but I needed her.
Every fiber in me refused
to believe Mother was beyond my reach. So afraid of my guilt for letting her down, I would rather have her be an illusion. Coward. I was a coward. Face your fear. Face your demon. Face your guilt. When Clarissa told me the woman in the ice castle was my mother, I believed it then. Mother is alive. And when I let those words sink in, my heart expanded with joy.
First things first. I had to break my bond with Cyrus. But then he dropped his other surprise. My mother was the Snow Queen. The Snow Queen. How the hell did I never know all those years? I would hear her side of the story if we made it out alive.
Then more people appeared, some from the supposedly dead like Kalani and Sabina. I had no idea where they’d been. Then things got out of hand when Lucia and my friends appeared. No. No. No. More people meant more deaths. But I couldn’t express my thoughts. Cyrus held my leash tightly, ready for me to explode.
I wanted to yank that leash, wrap it around his neck, and take his life. Better yet, leash him. See how he liked being a puppet. But my dad. He was still inside Cyrus. And for the first time, I felt his presence. I heard him.
Son.
Dad. Oh, my heart. There wasn’t enough room for more emotions. I had never heard his voice before, but I knew who he was.
I can’t stop him anymore. I can’t stop him from killing your mother and you. I’ve used all my strength to fight him all these years, to keep your mom and you safe, but I can no longer hold on. Fight him, Eli. You’re strong. I love you, son.
Dad. It felt strange to say the word dad to a man I’d never seen or met. But regardless, I loved him. Even though I’d never known him, I loved him.
“Dad!” I screamed inside my mind.
No answer.
“Dad!” My heart faltered and then stuttered when I no longer felt him. His light dimmed to almost nothing.
Then the worst happened. Cyrus took control of me. Fight him. I cursed myself. I yanked, pulled, tore at that wretched bond, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t free myself.
My world swallowed into darkness, my heart hollowed, and my mind became a mess. Kill. Kill. Kill. My eyes burned as I rolled back my shoulders, allowing my wings to expand and stretch. Too heavy. Too big. They dragged across the icy floor, razor-sharp feathers shaving ice into powder along my path. I gripped the woman’s neck in front of me. She didn’t fight back. Too easy.
Fire and invisible punches pushed me back, none strong enough to do damage, though they confused me. Flickers of light caught my attention, swords ringing in my ears. A sweet, familiar scent filled my senses, and I was caught off guard, and then my bones became so cold I felt nothing.
The lady I tried to kill began to freeze me, turning me into ice. I didn’t care. I could’ve fought harder, to break free, but what I saw from the corner of my eye broke me. I shouldn’t care. It was impossible for me to care when I was lost in darkness, but I began to slowly regain myself and then I surrendered.
Cyrus’s knife-like wings pierced through Abel’s body. Not just one, but too many. I had felt the pain when one went through me, but that many would kill him. NO…Abel! I shouted with all my strength, but no sound escaped my mouth. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even breathe. And when I heard Abel asking Davin to tell Eli he was sorry, I crumbled. My heart broke.
I wanted to tell my friend it wasn’t his fault, that he had been tricked like we all had. Our friendship ending had been my fault. After my mother died, I pushed away everyone I cared about. I dug a hole and lived in there so I wouldn’t be hurt again. I had blamed Abel because I needed someone to blame. The hate in me grew until…a girl. Not just any girl, but a girl with wings came along. She made me want to live again.
I’m sorry, Abel. I wish I could have told you too.
Then I could no longer move any part of my limbs, my mind shut down, and darkness covered me whole. I had no sense of time or place. For all I knew, I was dead, drifting in a lonely afterlife or perhaps my own version of Hell. My version of Hell wasn’t as bad as I would’ve expected. Perhaps Hell was freezing rather than scorching hot.
I felt no pain, and no tortured screams met my ears, though soft women’s voices faded in and out. Then my muscles and bones throbbed like I had been tossed in a fire. My reality finally settled. I was in Hell.
Light burst around me like blinking flashlights. I shifted away, unable to focus, and my body shook as if I were having a seizure.
“Eli.”
Someone called me. A woman’s voice.
“Eli. Open your eyes. Fight it,” the voice demanded, pulling me, lifting me. My mother’s voice?
Perhaps I’d been in a coma and everything that happened since my mother’s death was just a dream. I had made up the girl with wings, and she was my light bringing me back home.
“He’s not going to make it. Do something,” my mother pleaded.
Someone’s fist pounded my chest. Elementum energy pulled and tugged to the depth of my core. The light began to fade and darkness grew.
“He’s not responding,” a desperate voice roared.
My body shifted. Something warm pressed against my cheek. My mother’s hand?
“Eli, I can’t lose you too. Please come back.” Hot liquid splashed my face.
I wanted to fight, but I felt nothing but the cold. My icy muscles kept me immobile, dragging me down and down and down. I had no chance. My mother and I would not get the reunion I’d hoped for. Maybe I wanted it to end. So tired. I was tired of fighting, tired of guilt, tired of trying. As I took my last breath, something yanked me.
“Eli.”
“Abel?”
I stood on a sandy beach alone, nothing but me, myself, and I. When I turned to the sound of sand shifting, Abel stood before me.
“Abel?” I swallowed a lump of sadness and regret, tears burning my eyes. “Am I dead?”
“You will be if you don’t get your ass out of here. Why are you here?” Not an angry voice, but one of contempt.
Abel sported jean shorts and a T-shirt. No blood on his face, body, or clothes. With his shoulders relaxed and grinning, all signs of stress and worries dissipated.
“I don’t know. I think I died.” I rubbed the back of my neck where a cool breeze brushed me.
“You know why you’re here, Eli. You’re afraid,” he said, meeting my eyes.
I gazed up to the fluffy clouds and back to him. “I’m not afraid of anything.”
Abel’s brow furrowed, challenging. “Admit it, Eli. You’re afraid to go back. You’re afraid of your guilt over seeing me die and being unable to do anything about it. You’re afraid your mother isn’t really alive, and you’re afraid you’ll never see Lucia again.”
I covered my ears with my hands, but he kept repeating the same words over and over, echoing inside me as his voice intensified.
“Stop it!” I howled and rammed into him, pinning him down. But my hands dug into the bare sand.
“Eli. I’m right behind you,” he taunted.
I whirled. Abel leaned against the tree, smirking. Rage built inside me. I attacked and collided with the tree. That freakin’ hurt. Thump! My back hit the sand. The clouds spun in a tunnel of white, reminding me of Lucia’s wings—pure and beautiful. I could lie there and stare and remember. I didn’t deserve someone like her. We could never be together anyway.
“Get up!” Abel shouted, his voice getting angrier and louder with each sentence. “You can live. You get that choice. Stop being a coward. You have a family that loves you. You have friends who think you’re pretty awesome. And you have a girl who is willing to fight for you. You don’t get to stay here. This is my home. I died, remember? I died. You get to live. So go live your life. You get a second chance. Do you hear me? You get a second chance. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Stop sulking like your whole world turned upside down. Stop—”
I didn’t let him finish. I attacked in demon speed, only instead of punching him to the sky, I embraced him and began to sob. “Not without you, Abel. Not without you.” Uncontrollable tears streamed do
wn my face. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Abel. I wasted so much time being mad at you when we should’ve spent—”
“It’s okay, Eli. I’m sorry too. I should’ve tried harder to help you. We’ve made mistakes, but we’re lucky. We got this chance to make amends. We get to say we’re sorry. We get to forgive and forget. Go and live your life to the fullest with no regrets. Do not grieve for me, Eli. I have found peace. I am home.”
Light burst through a tunnel of darkness and surrounded me. Arms wrapped around my body. The scent of edelweiss filled my nostrils. I opened my eyes, and my mother’s beautiful face appeared. I was no longer cold, but hot and sweaty and spread out on the sofa. My mother kneeled beside me.
“Eli. You’re going to be fine,” my mother’s voice quaked, as if to remind herself. “I thought I lost you, my boy.”
“Mom?” My dry throat felt like I swallowed sand, and my eyes pooled with tears. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t look for you. I thought you were dead. I gave up so easily. I should have known. I should’ve—”
“No, Eli.” She stroked my hair, love and joy filling her eyes. “You don’t get to feel guilty. It wasn’t your fault. This is far beyond what you could comprehend. This war began before you were born. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. But I’m back now.”
I gazed into her eyes, still in shock she was there. She was real. Alive. My mother. I got a second chance. Then Abel’s voice spoke in my mind. You get a second chance. Go live.
“Hello, Eli.”
Kalani came into my line of vision, and then Sabina. They were dressed in leather armor. I hadn’t realized how much Milani resembled her mother until then.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Sabina said. Her long blonde hair was almost white, and even her eyebrows were the same color as her hair. She was beautiful in her own right.
“Same here,” I said and then shifted my attention to Kalani. “You died.” I chastised myself for being insensitive. “I mean…”
“Cyrus thought I died. He also thought he killed Sabina, but he killed the real traitor, Halina. That’s another story for another day, but I’m sorry to have caused you grief. It was the only way the sisters could regroup and find your mother.”
